17 Pinned Down

The convicts claw their way aboard Chin‑Yau’s starship, freedom within reach—until the Emperor’s troops swarm, pinning them down in a hail of gunfire. Amid the chaos, Ying‑Tai drags an unresponsive Boog to safety, hoping he’s still alive. Of course, the mission’s final step depends entirely on Boog, and with enemy forces closing fast, the crew’s shot at escape is quickly slipping away.

Transcript

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The author of the Exodus series is intentional about avoiding profanity and explicit sexual content. However, this episode does contain scenes of violence that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. Otis! Give me a hand! Ying Taya standing outside in the docking access to by the large shipping container. Otis, help! He reached down and grabbed Ooh from her shoulders. Is Ooh dead? I hope not. She's sick. Running if she jumped up into the container. She turned back her body and reached down to the table and pulled her just as a spray of her container. Last of our crew. Followed by Yingtai. Slid down into the antechamber with his tracer. Flew through the opening for an advancing station security. Otis! Grab the container and pull! Yingtai held one of the handles and was bent over to pull. Otis strong. Otis help! He grabbed one of the handles. The squeak and scrape of the metal container pierced their ears as it came free. The heavy door slammed. Bullets pounded on the opposite side. Okay. Otis. Let's push the container up against that edge so the door can't be reopened. Okay. Together they maneuvered the heavy container into the door's jam against the protruding forward edge. Hey! A little help over here! Dex called out. Ying Tai glanced toward the antechamber's exit corridor. Tima, take some men and go help out. I'll see if Boog's still alive. Right. Tima got up and grabbed some others and headed for the corridor. Some dropped their weapons and picked up fresh ones from the dead troops on the deck. Ying Tai scanned Boog's blood-stained armor looking for holes. Not finding any, she looked up. Doc, get over here! Doc rose from one of the wounded he'd been aiding and came over to Ying Tai. What's wrong, Boog? I can't tell if he's dead or not. Quickly. Remove his helmet. She did so, and the Doc looked at Boog. He pressed two fingers into the skinny neck and paused. He has a bolt. He next peeled back an eyelid. The pupil retracted to the sudden light. Next he felt his head. Ah. Our young friend must have been hit in the head. Ying Tai picked up the helmet inspecting it. Sure enough, she could feel a dent on the surface. Saved his life. She tossed it aside. I need him conscious. Now, let me see what I can do. Good. I'll go help the others. Let me know the second he's conscious. Ying Tai grabbed her gun and stood, heading for the fight in the corridor. Wave after wave of crescendoing pain flowed up Ying Tai's leg. She realized, and in the same thought, she threw herself flat against the bulkhead wall as tracers glanced down the corridor, nearly hitting Gecko's fleeing form as he darted around the edge. We're not gonna last long, he said, tossing an empty magazine aside. Getting low. He slammed another magazine into the gun. A line of tracers sticked in a jagged pattern along the edge of the deck inches from Ying Tai's feet. I'll go check Boog. Cover me, she said. Gecko nodded, and he and Dex, along with several others, began firing past Ying Tai as she darted from cover and jumped down the stairs into the anti-speaker. She yelled, Boog awake! The doctor waved her over. Barely. He's just now coming out of it. Ying Tai squatted next to the dock, looking down at Boog. His eyes fluttered. Boog, you can catch up on beauty sleep later. She slapped him firmly on each cheek. You're coming with me. She started yanking him to his feet. Uh why, T, he may not time, Doc. He either comes with me now, or we're all dead. She put her arm around him, favoring her good leg. Help me get him to the vent up there. She nodded with her head. Hey. Where going? Boog mumbled. She slapped him lightly again on the cheek with a free hand as Doc helped her lift him up onto some storage containers. We're going on a little exploring trip, she said. That's nice. He said, grinning stupidly. A loud thunder echoed in the chamber, and Ying Tai looked at the door leading into the docking tube. She cursed. They got something heavy out there. She focused her attention to the grill covering the ventilation shaft. She undid the clips and tossed it aside. Boob? She slapped him again. Is there a way to the engine room through here? Boob shook his head. Sorry. Got you into mess. He said and began crying. Ying Tai grabbed the doc's arm. Doc? Need him coherent. Got anything from the mine base? Another concussion slammed into the portal door. Yeah, I was saving it for something more extreme, he said, reaching into a bag he'd taken from the mine. This is pretty much life and death. Use it. Doc removed a waxy paper with a black disc stuck to it. He carefully peeled it off and stuck it on Boog's neck. Hang on. Shouldn't take, but uh Boog's eyes flashed open. What the heck is going on? He said, looking up at Ying Tai and Doc. She smiled in spite of the throbbing pain in her leg. She took his chin in her hand and swiveled his face toward hers. Boog, we're on Chin Yao's starship in the main entry antechamber. Can we get to the engine room from here? She asked, pointing at the vent. His eyes focused on Ying Tai. Musta taken a hit. My head's pounding. Another powerful blast hit the portal door again. Boog, how do we get to the engine room? Ying Tai reached out to his armor and pulled him close to her face. He looked around the room. Uh that door over there. He said, pointing to an access door up against the outer bulkhead. It's a large uh mechanical chase. Loaded with conduits, pipes, and stuff. But eventually feeds directly into the engine room. Can we get to the engine room through this dock? Ying Tai asked, pointing behind him. Oh, sure. Good. She said and laid his head back down. Doc, find Otis and have him take one of those large storage containers. She pointed at a massive container. Have him wedge it into the corridor. Then take everyone and head to the engine room through that access door. She pointed at the door next to the outer wall. Where are you going? We'll meet you there. Coming in the back door. We're not going to the infirmary? He frowned. Nope. This is plan B. What's plan B? Make it up as you go, she said, and motioned for Boob to take the lead. After you, Boob. A red light flashed on the control display. Captain! Captain! The junior officer motioned for the captain, who was speaking to the emperor. Captain Lao turned toward the junior officer. Yes, sir. The main entry shows signs of damage. Chin Yao swung around toward the man. Damage? He strode over to the console. What damage? The junior officer swallowed hard. The emperor never spoke to someone of his station or class. He swallowed again. Emperor Chinyao! Hobbs security appears to be trying to blast the door down to pursue the convict. Damage to my ship? He'd spent an enormous fortune on the starship, and he wasn't going to allow anyone to damage it. Stop them at once. Just open the door. Emperor Chinyao! The door has been jammed shut. We cannot open it. Chinyao turned toward Captain Lao. See that station security seizes the destruction of the ship. Send more soldiers to the antechamber to break through and kill the convicts. The junior officer swallowed again. Uh Emperor Chinyao. The corridor has a large storage container jammed into one end, and the troops are trying to break through. Chinyao's face began to turn purple, and veins near his temples throbbed. He looked like he was about to erupt, but Captain Lao quickly intervened. We have a team of men retrieving cutting equipment headed there now. The Emperor seemed to collect himself. Very well. Inform me when the situation is under control. The captain glared back at the junior officer. Inform ring station security to stop at once. The young genius muttering to himself sprang into action, leading Ying Tai through the complex duck. With his small frame, he easily navigated the various turns and twists. Within about 20 minutes, she looked through a metal mesh access hatch down into the engine room. Working below were about twenty men and women, busily engaged in their work. Where's the door to the engine room? She asked in a whisper. Boob pointed in a direction. The main entry is over there. Can't see it right now, but there's also a door back there and an equipment door beyond those two decks. He pointed to the two locations in turn. Three access points, she confirmed. Tough to defend all three. Well, it could be worse. She cocked her head at the sound of a voice below. Hey, you can't be in here! A shrill female voice said. Ying Tai nodded at Boo. There's our cue. She grasped the metal grip with her cyber hand and punched it from the frame. She grabbed the edge of the frame with the same hand and hung down into the opening. Long arm held in her other hand. She squeezed the trigger and sent a bullet into the deck at the foot of one of the techs. The loud report echoed over the thrum of the engines. Answering gunfire came from the direction of the lateral bulkhead. Dex, Tima, and Gecko emerged, each holding a longarm aimed over the heads of the techs. All of the techs froze in position. Dex stepped forward with his arms out. Good evening. I'm Dexter Simmons. He announced to the shocked audience. This is Tima and Gecko. He pointed to each with his free hand. Just then, like a bear awakening from hibernation, Otis emerged from the cramped mechanical chase and waddled into the room. And this giant monstrosity is Otis. The ship's texts tipped their heads back, looking up at Otis's imposing size while Dex spoke. We're your hijackers for tonight's performance. The rest of the ex-cons had entered the room and held their weapons leveled at the frightened Tex. Dex continued, Now, you all can't help working for some slime bag boss. So we're not gonna hold that against you. We don't want anyone to get hurt tonight. So we ask that you all relinquish your weapons, if you have any, and move over toward that wall. He gestured with the muzzle of his long arm. Slowly at first, and then with more vigor, all the tech shuffled over to the wall where five ex-cons kept guard. Ying Tai brought 16 feet to the deck and began issuing orders. Three doors must be secured. There, there, and here. She pointed to each and looked back up. Boog, get down here. She watched the crew around the room as they began jamming doors and setting up a defense perimeter. She spotted Otis and wondered, How in the world did he manage to get through the chase? Otis, come here. He plodded over, smiling, and looked down at her. Otis, helping good, Otis. Can you catch Boog? She pointed overhead. He began nodding his head up and down. Otis, catch. He lifted his hands and Boog dropped safely into them. Thank you, Otis. Now go help block the doors. Okay. He shambled back to the main entry. Ying Tai looked at the young kid who stared at all the engineering techs being held prisoner. Boog, it's now up to you to help us get out of here. She patted him on the back. He probably recognizes some of the tax. She thought. Focus and get to work. He seemed to shake himself and looked up at her. Right. This'll be fun. He said with a cocky smile. He held his head high and marched over to a row of control displays and began tapping the lighted keys. He shook his head, whispering to himself, No, no, no. This is not happening. He hung his head and braced himself. Conveying bad news on the Emperor's starship was never a good position to be in. Already he'd had to report less than favorable conditions to the captain and the Emperor, and he wasn't thrilled about reporting bad news a fourth time. The last time, when he'd reported ring security was damaging the ship, earned him a small demotion in rank. Captain Lau said he'd allowed it to get out of hand, and then he made the mistake of asking what he was supposed to do about station security. I have no control over what they're doing. He'd blurted out. The captain's face had turned a dark shade of red, and Li To knew he'd just crossed the line. He looked back down at the warning light, indicating the engine core was beginning to overheat. The bar of light on the display was slowly turning from yellow into an orange. After watching it for a few seconds, he told himself it had stabilized and wasn't changing any further. He decided to ignore it rather than suffer further wrath from the captain. When can we announce? He continued to look steadily at the floating holo screens, the reflected light dancing on his face. It'll take a few minutes for me to thrash the computer into thinking the main engine core is overheating. He studied the display and pointed at one of the floating screens. Right now, the computer is trying to figure out why it's telling itself it's overheating. When the core is actually still at normal temperatures. Ying Tai shook her presently, moondust-caked, stringy black hair. Whatever. She went to check on Gecko, who sat in one of the chairs resting. How's the leg? How's yours? She smiled. Painful. But I'll manage. Same here. He said, nodding. When we announce and the ship begins to empty, are you capable of accompanying me to the command deck? Gecko swept his long black hair out of his eyes and looked up at her. I wouldn't miss the pleasure. Where's Dex? She asked, looking around. He pointed to the large equipment loading door where Dex supervised the reinforcing of one of the doors. They aren't here, the soldier said. Find them! Captain Lao raged. Where did they go? I don't know, sir. The antechamber is empty except for some of our own troops shot through the head. No sign of the escaped prisoners. Where could they have gone? Chin Yao asked himself. After several moments of contemplation, he had a pretty good idea where they could be headed. Then everything erupted into chaos. Li To continued to try to convince himself it was still just orange. It's only halfway through the danger level. No big deal. A brave but foolish voice sued. Take your mind off of it. If you can't see it, it doesn't exist. He turned his attention to Captain Lau, who was speaking to the Emperor in quiet tones. The Emperor wore a stern expression and appeared to be arguing with the captain. Without meaning to, he looked at the display. The gauge caught his eye. It was now flaming red. He screwed his eyes shut. Why me? Why does this have to happen to me? He asked in silent prayer, although he claimed to be atheist. Right now, in the current situation, he hoped there was an omnipotent deity that would have compassion upon him and rescue him from certain but severe punishment. If I report the engine conditions now, they'll probably execute me. He knew the alarms would go off any second now. If the alarms go off and I haven't reported, they'll probably execute me. Or worse. He slumped in his chair. I'm dead. Either way. He closed his eyes and rose from his chair. Opened them briefly to see the core's gauge nearing critical.

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Captain!

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His voice came out barely above a whisper. Captain! Louder, this time. Captain Lau turned swiftly from the Emperor and snapped. What is it? Leto's lips moved, but no sounds came out. Yes? The captain came toward him. All Lito could manage to do was point at the display which now glowed a bright red. Critical. Before the captain could say another word, a loud claxon blared out, followed by a warning voice. The male voice announced. The captain's eyes nearly popped from his skull, and the emperor turned on him. Li To sunk back in his seat, momentarily forgotten. Get me the engine room! The captain bellowed. What is going on? The Emperor pounced on the captain. Engine room! Now the captain ignored the Emperor. Captain, what is wrong with my ship? The Emperor demanded. An officer popped up from his workstation. Captain, the engine room is not responding. The ship's intercom erupted with a booming voice, drowning out the computerized warning voice. Attention, this is the captain. All hands abandon ship. Abandon ship. Repeat, all hands abandon ship. Chinyao's mouth fell open and he stared at the captain. Who is that? Li To watched as chaos erupted on the command deck. Many officers jumped up from their seats even though they were in the same room as the captain and could clearly see it wasn't him speaking. They left their stations and began heading for an exit. The gauge itself was now flashing a warning that the engine's complete eruption was imminent. The captain, apoplectic, shouted at the crew, Back to your stations! His face turned purple. The computer voice drone. Li To, unobserved, stood up and followed three of his friends as they headed for an exit. The last thing he heard was the Emperor roaring, Is my ship going to blow up? Moonbound is a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller from the Exodus series by Warson T. Badger. If you crave rebellion, high stakes heists, and lunar warfare, this science fiction audio drama will leave you breathless. Read the entire Exodus 5 book series. Available wherever digital and physical books are sold.